The Slytherin Common Room had never been cosy. The greenish glare cast from the numerous lamps in their silver brackets tended to give everyone an unhealthy tinge, and the dungeon location meant it was never as warm as many other parts of the castle. Andromeda had always felt quite at home there, the green upholstery, dark wooden cabinets and stone walls were similar to her family home. After all, the Blacks had always prided themselves in their pure and Slytherin based heritage.
The room felt colder than usual at the moment.
It was late, a smattering of students were still gathered around the common room in small groups. The Easter holidays had begun two days previously, so the majority of students were at home. Even more than usual this year, people were becoming scared. Parents wanted their children close, the disappearances has started to increase. Those still in the room kept shooting glances at Andromeda and her sister, before turning back to whisper to each other. Narcissa was sitting in one of the dark leather chairs near the fire. At fifteen years old, her inherited good-looks of the Black family were already apparent. Her long blond hair streamed down her back, and the firelight caught her high cheekbones and highlighted her pale complexion.
"Cissy? Please lets-"
"Stop talking about it Andromeda! People are already staring at us."
Andromeda knelt beside her sister on the stone floor and gave her shoulder a rough shake. Narcissa continued to stare into the flames, her expression blank, ignoring her sisters persistent shaking.
"We need to talk about it!" she hissed. Several sixth years glanced up at them from the corner of the room and Narcissa turned to glare at her. Andromeda lowered her voice and grabbed her sister's wrist to pull her closer.
"We need to talk to Bella, we need to tell her that we're worried."
"No" Narcissa wrenched her wrist away and turned her head back towards the fire, continuing her pretence of staring into it and ignoring her sister.
"That death, you saw how many witnesses there were. You know how Bella's been acting the past year! You know who she's been involved with!"
Narcissa turned back to glare at her with a hiss, as several more student turned to stare at the raised voices by the fire. She bent closer to Andromeda, lowering her voice to a whisper.
"Just because rumours say that Bellatrix was involved doesn't mean-"
"Not just rumours! You saw what the paper said!"
"The Prophet says a lot of things. We shouldn't believe everything." She lowered her voice even further, bending closer so her curtain of hair swung to hide her face. "We both know there have been other disappearances, people have been talking about them for months. There's no proof that any of them are linked, most haven't even been reported."
She sat back up again with a haughty look at her sister.
"Besides, the Prophet seems to support Him and his views. I thought you supported his views."
Andromeda clenched her teeth; sinking back onto the stone floor she began shaking her head.
"I was being naïve. I was listening to what Bella was saying, to what our parents believed."
"Well I believe it!" Narcissa spat at her. There was venom in her voice; her hands had griped the arms of the leather chair and her chest was heaving as she glared down.
Andromeda felt a new emotion rising in her chest, the beginnings of panic. She felt terrified as she stared up at her baby sister's face contorted with rage. She moved in front of her, taking both her hands in her own and stared into her face.
"Please Cissy. You've seen how Bellatrix has changed. The love of Dark magic, the talk of power-"
"Bella's always been like that!"
"But never to this extent, I'm worried about her. The way she seems to worship him; this 'Dark Lord', the way she talks about killing!"
"She's following him as she should. She's doing what every pure-blood should be doing!" Narcissa was no longer troubling to keep her voice down. She had stood up, her blond hair tumbling around her shoulders. The fire light reflecting in her features wasn't enhancing them any more, but made them appear shadowy and unnatural.
"The way you talk it seems that you do not respect your heritage! That you do not take the full advantage of your pure-blood!"
Andromeda could do nothing but stare at her sister. She seemed so much taller all of a sudden, even though they were almost the same height; the Black genes had blessed them with the graceful figure that made Bellatrix so imposing.
"I-" She didn't know how to reply. The passion and anger in her little sister's voice had struck her. "Maybe… Maybe I'm not proud of my heritage"
"Then maybe you don't deserve to be a Black." Narcissa finished with a hiss. She gave her sister a scathing look before turning to march across the common room and up the stairs to her dormitory.
The remaining students were staring openly now, the sixth years in the corner were nudging each other and whispering frantically. A group of third years had scurried off to bed after Narcissa, throwing looks back at the fireplace as they went. Andromeda ignored them; she sat back in the vacated armchair and placed her head in her hands.
Things had been wrong for a while; her entire family had been causing her to grow more uneasy. Her parents seemed to have selective hearing, overlooking what Bellatrix had become involved in since she had left Hogwarts. Choosing to ignore the whispers of disappearances and instead, agreeing with what the other pure-blood families were saying. That it was 'what they had been waiting for' anyway. Besides, it wasn't like anyone of their class had gone missing. Ted had warned her that she would start to see that she thought differently from them…
"Ted" she spoke his name aloud, but the common room had finally emptied leaving no-one to hear it.
She needed to see him, needed to tell him what was happened. She needed him to tell her that everything would be alright.
But would it? That death, Bellatrix was involved. What if she found out about Ted? What if her parents found out? Narcissa had already begun to grow suspicious, often inquiring why she hadn't found a husband yet. After all, her education was almost over and there were plenty of respectable pure-blood men who had been approved by her parents. She should be getting married as soon as she left school, as was expected of her. That's what Bellatrix had done, that's what girls of her class always did.
She grabbed a loose piece of parchment off one of the side tables. Ripping a strip off the bottom she scrawled
Ted
Can we meet? I know it's late. I need to see you. Please
A x
Her owl was in her room; he had delivered a letter from her parents earlier this evening and had fallen asleep in the cage on her window sill. The stone steps that led to the dormitories were easy to creep up silently. Her room was still, most of the beds were empty. The only girl remaining was asleep; her soft snoring indicated that she was not going to wake up any time soon. Andromeda gently poked her owl awake. He was a beautiful tawny owl; she had owned him since the first year and felt he would understand her waking him for something important. He hooted softly and nipped her finger in a disgruntled fashion, but held out his leg for her.
"Can you take this to Ted." She whispered, binding the tiny note to his leg.
"You know his window. He always leaves it open for you anyway." He hooted softly again and rustled his feathers before taking off out the open window. Andromeda watched him go.
Should she change? She and Narcissa had been dressed for travelling. Her mother and father had been in Norway for the past two weeks, several business arrangements of her father meant they were late returning. They had been due to pick the girls up this evening, but had written saying they were staying even longer. Andromeda guessed that news of Bella's involvement in the recent murder had been part of this decision, not that they would ever admit it. She didn't care. Her home now seemed like a cold place, waiting to trap her in the events her family were surrounding themselves with.
She unbuttoned the beautiful blue robe she had been wearing and tossed it over her head. She didn't particularly like it anyway; clothes had always been Narcissa's thing. She rummaged through her neatly packed trunk for something simple, all her clothes for outside school tended to be extravagant and well-made. Her hands closed on a pair of simple black trousers, she searched further and found a sweatshirt belonging to Ted. He had given it to her during a trip to Hogesmede, when she had refused to venture inside any of the shops for the whole of the day, fearing she might run into her sister. Ted had found the whole thing quite funny, and had wrapped her in his sweatshirt as they had walked down one of the many deserted paths surrounding the village. They had ended up sitting on a fence that surrounded a field past the Hog's Head, next to a scattering of grazing goats. Ted had made her laugh by pointing out that Narcissa would never be seen dead anywhere near here, so at least they were safe from discovery.
Her sisters would sneer at her wearing muggle clothing, but she pulled it on anyway. It was too big for her and hung loosely off her slim frame. It still smelt of him, she brought the collar up to her face and inhaled.
It had been a risk taking it home anyway, the house elf would have been sure to find it and inquire why the young Mistress Black had a man's muggle sweatshirt in her trunk.
She closed her trunk and ruffled her bedclothes, hoping that if anyone woke up they would assume she had just nipped to the bathroom, and set off down the stairs.
Ted was already at their meeting place when she arrived. It was a small corridor just off the entrance hall, filled with a jumble off old desks and leading onto disused classrooms, it was always empty. It was also unsuspicious for both of them; everyone knew the Slytherin Common Room was this direction. It was easy for her to break away from Narcissa when leaving dinner, act like she was planning to head straight to bed while her sister hung around gossiping. It started out as a secret spot for liaisons, her romantic hideaway where she could sneak a kiss with a boy her mother would have strongly disapproved of. It had become a safe-haven away from the current events.
She must have looked scared, because he looked around as if checking for someone spying. His fair-hair was ruffled, several strands falling across his eyes while the rest stuck out at the side of his head. It was clear she had woken him up. He had made an attempt at getting dressed; the hastily-pulled-on jumper and unlaced boots looked almost comical with his pyjama trousers. She loved every aspect of his appearance; he was taller than her, broad cheated with big arms. His eyes crinkled when he smiled, and when he laughed it was a low and musical sound that seemed to come from deep in his chest. He was so far away from the well-bred and elegant, pure blood boys her parents were setting up for her to marry. He held out his hand for hers, taking it and gripping her fingers tightly.
"You're freezing! You shouldn't be wondering around this late."
He took both her hands between his and blew on them, grinning as he did so.
"I doubt I'm being much help at warming you up, you always do have cold hands."
The caring in his voice seemed to affect her more than anything, months of built up emotion spilled out as she burst into tears. She collapsed into Ted's arms, crying noisily into his chest.
She hardly ever cried, Cissy cried. One wrong word, one accidental insult and she was off. Wailing and sobbing and quivering her bottom lip until everyone involved realised their grave mistake and rushed to comfort her. She was the baby of the family, and the baby cried for attention. Bella got plenty of attention simply by being herself, laughing and showing off while others flocked to her. Andromeda didn't need attention, she didn't want attention. She was perfectly happy being in the middle, surrounded by her sisters.
"You're making my jumper wet."
"Sorry" came her muffled response. He was joking because he'd never seen her like this. She had been worried in front of him before, maybe even shown she was beginning to feel scared. But this complete cascade of emotions from the regal and respectable Andromeda Black must have shocked him slightly. When she looked up at him his jaw was set, his eyes had crinkled in concern. She knew he cared about her more than anything.
"It's… It's… I don't-" she faltered, sobs rising in her throat. He pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her, his fingers laced in her hair.
"You don't need to tell me. It's fine" he said soothingly.
He held her until she went quiet, then he lifted her face in his hands and kissed her, it was simple and soft. She was still shaking but she responded, her hands digging into the fabric on his shoulders as she pulled him closer to her. When they broke apart, she kept her hands there, not wanting to let go of him.
"Did you wake me up just to kiss me?" he said. A smile played on the corner of his mouth, but he still looked concerned.
She shook her head, still clinging to his chest.
"Not that I'm complaining. It doesn't rate badly as a wake-up call."
She didn't respond, her hands still digging into the fabric of his jumper. She could hear his heartbeat when she pressed her ear close, it sounded faster than normal.
"Are you scared?"
The question seemed to come out of nowhere, as soon as she said it she felt stupid for asking. He looked down at her oddly.
"I'm only scared because you're upset. Do have another reason to be?"
"No" she shook her head against his chest. "Well… people say there is going to be a war. That it's already started. And my family's involved."
He looked down at her again and his eyes crinkled again in concern.
"Do you want to stay with me tonight?"
She stared at him. There was no leer or suggestion in the invitation. As soon as he said it he clearly realised what she was thinking and a faint blush crept up his cheeks. "I just mean… if you don't want to go back there tonight. There's no-one in my dormitory, they've all gone home."
It was a very tempting offer; she didn't feel like being surrounded by reminders of what Bella was involved in tonight, and the Slytherin house tended to do that. She wanted to be with Ted. He was looking at her anxiously, clearly thinking that he had over-stepped his mark.
"I'd love to." She could feel the tears welling up again. She realised that if she had it her way, she would be staying with him forever. She felt so much more at home with him than with her family. He took her hand and led her out of the corridor and across the silent entrance hall. The great glass hourglasses were sparkling, even in the darkness. Slytherin were in first place, as was normal, with Ravenclaw in a close second. Hufflepuff were fourth, a few years ago Andromeda would have laughed that houses so accepting of idiot Mudbloods could hardly be expected to come first. Now she would be the first to tell other Slytherin's off, for using such language.
Ted had turned off and started to lead her down a long corridor lined with paintings. She supposed they must be underground, although she couldn't imagine a passageway more different to the dungeon route to her common room. Ted had stopped before a large painting of a medieval banquet, spoken the password and led her into a large, warm room filled with squashy arm chairs and colourful rugs. It was so different from the gloomy green light of her common room that she was momentarily stunned. The yellow of the walls made the room seem brightly lit and sunny, despite it being the middle of the night. Ted was grinning at her shocked expression.
"You'll have to show me your common room next, although I doubt I'd survive the experience."
"Slytherin's aren't all bad" she laughed. Ted was already making her feel better. He tugged lightly on her hand, pulling her across the common room and through one of the round doors at the side that evidently led to their dormitories. These passageways were also brightly lit and Andromeda was beginning to feel oddly calmed by these different surroundings. She paused to stare at one of the round dormitory doors and Ted had to pull her hand along.
"Come on, I don't really want to get caught by…" but he had stopped talking as they had almost run into a boy coming the other direction. He looked like a fourth year, and was staring at Andromeda with a look that said he knew she wasn't supposed to be here. Ted looked quickly around, the boy was alone. He fished in his pocket and pressed a galleon into the boy's hand.
"You didn't see anything, okay?" he said.
The boy was still staring at Andromeda, more with curiosity now. Ted was a prefect, and would get into trouble if it was discovered he was sneaking girls into his room in the middle of the night. It probably didn't seem like the sort of thing that he would risk for a Slytherin Black girl.
Ted gripped the boy's arm.
"Okay?"
The boy tore his eyes away from her and slowly nodded.
"Sure, I didn't see her." He muttered.
"I owe you one, mate." Ted clapped the boy on the shoulder and grabbed her hand again, pulling her further along the passageway.
Andromeda couldn't help staring at him as they walked. He was so different from the people she was used to that it still surprised her at times. The other Slytherin prefects would have threatened the boy, Bellatrix would have hexed him. In fact, she had hexed a third year once, when he had caught her sneaking out after curfew. Bella had told everyone the story next morning and done a ridicules impression of the boy flailing on the ground, to much applause from her surrounding classmates. Andromeda had shot Bella a disapproving look, but had laughed along with everyone else. Ted was so very different, that she wondered how she could have lived without him before this year.
His dormitory was empty, as he had promised. The four beds nearest the door were neatly made, the yellow hangings arranged and tied back. His bed was clearly the one at the end, with its blankets kicked back and sheets rumpled. His trunk was open at the end, a jumble of muggle clothing and school robes spilling out. Several loose pieces of parchment and quills also scattered the floor. She couldn't help grinning; Ted was the opposite of her when it came to tidiness. He kicked off his boots and pulled off his jumper, and was making an effort to tidy the area round his bed. He closed his trunk, the sleeves of several robes still trailing out, and kicked an empty ink bottle away. Andromeda took his hand, pulling him away.
"Ted, don't worry about it."
He grinned at her again, flicking his hair out of his eyes. She reached up to tuck the strand behind his ear. She kept her hand there, pushing her fingers into the mess of blond. He had stopped grinning now, and was gazing at her with such a deep look that she felt her face grow hot. His breathing seemed to be slowing as she moved her hand from his hair to the side of his face. There was a soft display of golden stubble on his jaw, just visible in the low light. His fingers reached out and entwined themselves with hers, and he pulled her into the bed.
The sheets were cold, having been unoccupied for the last hour, but his chest was warm against hers. She couldn't help but kiss him. He responded, pressing his lips against hers, one hand moving up to touch her cheek. Her own hands were on his neck, pulling him towards her and deepening the kiss. She could feel the beat of his heart again, right above her own as he moved on top of her in the bed. She gripped the fabric of his t-shirt, tracing her fingers down his chest to his stomach. She felt the small gap of skin between the t-shirt and the top of his pyjama trousers, a soft line of golden hair marking up to his belly button.
His hands were on her back, she could feel them moving along the ridges of her spine. The jumper she was wearing had ridden up, showing a stretch of bare white skin around her middle. She found herself pulled closer to him, her own hands moving up under his t-shirt and across his chest. She found the hem and pulled it up and over his head, pausing for a moment to take in his upper-body. There were more golden hairs across the top of his chest. His upper arms were thicker than she imagined. She reached out to touch them instinctively, her fingers tracing along the shape of his shoulders. He was a good Quidditch player; it was obvious that he would be in good physical shape. She found herself gripping his shoulders more tightly as she put all she could into pressing her lips against his.
"Andromeda?" he had pulled back and was gazing down at her as she lay there. His eyes seemed darker; a light flush was on his cheeks.
"I don't think we should do this." He looked like he didn't really agree with what he was saying, but expression was set.
"Why not?" Her heartbeat was as fast and loud as his. It seemed to be threatening to burst out of her chest if she didn't continue touching him.
"You're upset, I shouldn't… You don't want more trouble with your family."
"This has already gone far beyond just trouble." It was true; one date with Ted would have meant trouble. They had passed that stage a long time ago. She brought her hands back up to his face. "I love you."
He stared at her.
"You don't mean that."
"I do." She was trying to put so such sincerity in her voice she wouldn't be surprised if the tears came again. "I've never been surer of anything in my life. I need you."
He moved from on top of her and sat up. His hair was still ruffled from all the kissing and his bare chest was rising and falling at the same rate as hers, but the flush was leaving his cheeks now. He was still staring and she'd never seen him more focused on her.
"But your family, they'd never let you be with me. They'd stop you"
"I don't care. I don't care what they do. This isn't just some stupid little romance. I love you."
He moved towards her again, taking her head in both his hands and kissing her. This wasn't the passionate kisses of before, it was so soft and tender that the tears that had been threatening for the last few minutes began to spill down her cheeks. He bought his thumbs up to her eyes to wipe them.
"I love you too, more than anything."
She dropped her head to his chest and he cradled it there, letting the tears run their course. They stayed like this for several minutes, his fingers laced in her hair. She found her breathing started following the rise and fall of his chest. There was no-where she'd rather be than with him, she had meant what she said about her family.
"I reckon you need to sleep"
She nodded. He lay down, letting her curl up against his chest again and she found herself drifting off before she was even aware of it. The problems of earlier in the evening seemed to be drifting away with her. Her family were nothing compared to him and he was her future, not them and whatever this war would bring.